Pack-sling.



1 0'. HARRIMAN.

. PACK SLING. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 190 8.

995.963. Patented June 20,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. G. HARRIMAN. PAGKSLING.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 3,1908

995,963. Patented June 20, 1911.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

hll"

i Thisinvention is a pack sling EEEDEBIC K GHARLES-HARRIMAN, OF NEW YORK, N, Y.

"Tocll 'ivhom it may concern:

Befit 'lgnownthat I, FREDERICK Cminnns HARRIMAN, citiz eniofthe United States, re-

"siding at1107:WestForty-third street, New

York ci-ty, inthe county of New York and State-of New York, have' invented certain -1jiewand useful Improvements in Pacts Slings, ofivv-hich the following is a specificati on,'- reference-being had therein to theac compjanying drawings.-

' adapted j for use of soldiers, guides, prospectors, *hunters etc. i

TheEobj-ectofthe invention is to produce a sling for carrying a military or like roll.

f vertically o'f'andin line with the spine of l *the wearerfso that the load is brought directly against the middle-vertical line of the back with the load distributed very evenly over the shoulders and back, leaving 'thefarms free ofmovenient and the chest unconnected and unweighted. inure accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a' front v'iew of the pack sling in place EFig. Q is'a perspectiye viewofthe pack sling detachedfandFig. 3 is a rear View of the paclt isling" infplace and tied to a military ILthedrawings, a are a pairof shoulder Q, straps, the "back ends of which are con- I \finected a yoke piece b' provided with end e xtensions 6 to be secured around the v u ppe"r portion of" the military roll R- or 1 other, load; The .shoulder straps are each 5 provided preferably with" a perforated, f doii iiwardly extending front strap a for adjustable connect-ion with the buckle 00-; U at the lower end of each are a pair of side pieccsfd which pass well below the arm pits of, the wearer across his sides and rearward vt o a point of union near the middle of his- Qback, The lower back ends of the side pieces are conveniently unitedby thetied 1,,piecf, which is provided, with extensions f s be secured, around the lower portion of the military roll R orother loadabout, oppositethe' small ofjilieubacko Bythis construction andaarrangement of parts, my;

new back support is readily adjustableat Q thebucltles ic tonin bf varied lengths of body, and the Weight of theunilitary roll or other load is;evenly distributed over the shoulders, back [of 1 the; neck I andgvback, leaving both arms entirely free for all move- IIlBIltSitDCl the chest 'unconstricted and unweighted, as is not the case withmilitary risen-strive.

Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedJunle 20, 1911, 1 application filed August 3, 1908. Serial No. 446,793. 7

rolls as now worn, horse-shoe shape,-ov'er one shoulder with one leg of therolldown the back and the other across the chest. 1

The military roll ,as now worn, often interferes with the free movement of the arms, interferes with breathing, interferes with the manual of arms and becomes readily displaced when the wearer is pushing through brushor-in a steeping position.

My new pack sling is particularly adapted for military use for reasons just indicated. Another advantage of my new sling when used for supporting "military rolls, is that the sling may be readily put on and taken off without unbuckling and while the roll is embraced. by "the extensions 5, b and f f,- the roll laid on the ground, the said extensions untied and the roll unrolled.

Of course extensions 6 b "and f 7 may be made strap and bucklewise if desired,

but'I prefer to use these extensions as simple ties. The roll or load maybe attached permanently to the sling asby the rivet y, if desired. f

Now it will be observed, in connection withthe present invent-iomthat my roll need not be permanently secured to the harness.

On the contrary, if the rivet y) is omitted,

the roll is detachably secured to the harness by the transverse back straps b and f, and consequently the roll may be quickly detached from the harness. while thelatter is on the soldiers back, so that the harness can be stripped to what is known as fighting form. In the present inventiomnot only is the roll detachable from the harness, but the con struction of the harness issuch that when a folded. and rolled blanket is locatedin it, the transverse straps are operable to compress the roll from the rear portion of the roll, about the sides and front thereof, (inother words, .circum ferentiallyQ and so hold it in rolled form for Wear in long suspension, down the back. It will besobservcd ,that in the preferred form of my invention illustrated, the upper and lower 1rolll engaging straps spring-orextend away' fromgthe rearward m ddle port on of the hH IQQSS as anvhole, so that the. sldes of therollare well between shoulders and sides of the wearer --3)-- Am TE .1

I am aware of Gari'tsUnitedyStates Patent Nea e- 3a hf. Dec ber; 5, i 3, and die claim all that is shown therein. The Carr structure is mfe to carry a rectangular pack, and not a roll. Each strap 6 forms one shoulder strap and one side strap, the latter portion coming edg'ewise against the wearers'side; but What is more important is that each strap is so positioned that its upper rear portlon slants away from the spine and does not converge at or near the Spine, whileth'e lower'rear portion of each strap converges away from the spine to the outer lower corners of the rectangular load. Each strap where confined tothe upper tie r comes about opposite the shoulder blades, while the lower ends of each strap where confined to the outer corner portions of the reqtangular load 'come about opposite the wearers hips.

.. I am also aware of the-Short Patent, No. 34,272 of January 28, 1862, where the oldfashioned rectangular knapsack is secured to a sling. The strap 0; passes around the back of the wearers neck opposite the collar; the lower ends of the straps are attached near thelower'corners of tlie knapsack; and there isno convergence whatever, of shoulder straps at or near the wearers spine, or of side straps at or near the wearers spine. N 0 one prior to my invention has devised a slin of any kind, so far as I am advised, for hol ing a military or other roll vertically of and opposite the spine of the wearer.

As. above indicated, the principle of this invention is the suspension of the pack in lon form, roll-wise, down the middle of the bac in which position it is easily and conveniently borne with advantages not heretofore obtained from any known mode or means .of equipment. By my invention, the ,bottom end of theroll comes opposite the buttocks, and, resting in part thereon, relieves the loins and kidneys of the strain incident to use of the horse-shoe-shaped roll worn over one shoulder and across the back and breast. .It is'a well established military "fact that soldiers have frequently thrown away packs or blankets of the latter type because of the great strain brought upon their loins and kidneys in wearing such packs, and the general inconvenience thereof.

The older rectangular knapsacks were generally carried in such wise, as stated in the Short Patent No. 33,726, that the whole weight of it is brought directly upon the shoulders and across the back of the neck.

The Carr patent construction involves sup:

port of the knapsack by the shoulders and head. The Short Patent N 0. 34,272 shows a inner corner of which comes against the upper part of the loins.

What I claim is g 1w ll ccou'trem'e'nt comprismg transverse bak straps, shoulder and side straps connected at their front end portions and rearwardly connected, near the rearward middle portion of the sling, the transverse back straps being freely bendable therefrom; and an elongated roll compressively and circumferentially engaged by said freely bendable transverse straps, the free ends of the transverse straps being coupled to exert circumferential compression on the roll.

2. A pack sling for carrying a military or like roll vertically of and opposite the wearers spine, said sling comprising a pair of shoulder straps and a pair of side straps, the rear ends of all of which straps converge toward the spinal line of the sling, the rear ends of the shoulder straps extending downwardly, and the rear ends of the side straps extending upwardly; and upper and lower transverse roll-holding straps connected with the rear middle portions of the sling and operable to be bent outwardly from the spinal line of the sling to encircle'a vertical roll and hold it in place in rolled form vertically of and opposite the wearers spine, and means for connecting the front portions of the shoulder and side straps.

3. A harness or sling for circumferentially and compressively engaging and supporting a military or-other roll in long suspension down the wearers back opposite his spine, comprising a pair of shoulder straps which converge at the rear portion of the harness; a pair of side straps.which converge at the rear portion of the harness, the

front ends of the shoulder and side straps being connectible; and a pair of transverse,

rearward straps, one above the other; the upper one being in connection with the rear- Ward "upper portion. of the harness,-and the lower one being in connection with the rearward lower portion of the harness, and both being extendible in roll-engaging form from 1 the rearward, vertically-- middle portion of with upper and lower roll-engaging cross- .stra ps forming a part of the harness and free to be bent outwardly from the vertical middle portion thereof.

In testimony whereof I. have afi'ixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK CHARLES HARRIMAN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD S. BEACH, ANNA VON I'IEMERT. 

